6 May 2023
How to Recover From a Sports Injury With Exercise, Without Making It Worse
Supercharge Your Squat with These 5 Functional Range Conditioning Exercises
In this blog post, we'll explore five powerful Functional Range Conditioning (FRC) exercises that can help you improve your squat performance.
FRC is a groundbreaking system designed to enhance mobility, flexibility, and joint health, which are all crucial factors in mastering the squat. So, without further ado, let's dive in!
Ankle CARs: Lay the Foundation for a Solid Squat
Limited ankle mobility can be a significant limiting factor when it comes to achieving a deep and comfortable squat. Ankle Controlled Articular Rotations (CARs) can help improve your ankle's range of motion, allowing for better squat depth and form.
- How to do it: Stand or sit with one foot off the ground.
- Slowly rotate your ankle through its full range of motion, making the largest circle possible.
- Perform 5-10 rotations in each direction on both ankles.
Hip CARs: Unlock Greater Hip Mobility
Tight hips can lead to poor squat mechanics, potentially causing discomfort or injury. Hip CARs target the hip joint, increasing flexibility and control, which translates to a smoother squat.
- How to do it: Stand next to a wall or sturdy object for support.
- Raise one knee towards your chest, then open your hip, moving your knee out to the side.
- Rotate your hip, bringing your knee behind you, and extend your leg.
- Reverse the motion and repeat for 5-10 reps on each side.
Thoracic Spine (T-Spine) Extension: Enhance Your Upper-Body Positioning
A strong and mobile upper back is essential for maintaining proper form in both front and back squats. T-Spine extensions will help you achieve a better upright position and maintain a neutral spine.
- How to do it: Sit on your heels, with your knees slightly wider than hip-width apart.
- Place your hands behind your head and hinge forward at your hips.
- Keeping your core engaged, lift your chest and extend your upper back, focusing on moving through your thoracic spine.
- Perform 10-15 reps.
90/90 Stretch: Boost Hip Flexibility and Squat Dept
The 90/90 stretch is a fantastic FRC exercise to open up tight hips and improve your squat depth.
- How to do it: Sit on the ground with one leg bent in front of you at a 90-degree angle and the other leg bent behind you at a 90-degree angle.
- Keep your chest tall and your back straight.
- Gently lean forward over your front leg, feeling a stretch in your hips.
- Hold for 30 seconds, then switch sides.
Quadruped Hip Extension: Strengthen Your Glutes and Hamstrings
A strong posterior chain is crucial for a powerful squat. Quadruped hip extensions target your glutes and hamstrings, helping you generate more force during your squat.
- How to do it: Start in a quadruped position (on all fours) with your hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
- Keeping your knee bent at a 90-degree angle, lift one foot towards the ceiling, engaging your glutes and hamstrings.
- Lower your leg and repeat for 10-15 reps on each side.
Conclusion:
Incorporating these five FRC exercises into your routine can have a significant impact on your squat performance. By improving your mobility, flexibility, and joint health, you'll not only squat more
If you've got a persistent sports injury, a dodgy knee, a shoulder that never fully healed, a lower back that flares up every time you try to train, you're probably frustrated.
You might have had physio. You might have rested for months. And yet the problem keeps coming back.
Here's why: rest and passive treatment alone rarely fix the underlying cause of a sports injury.
The root of most recurring injuries is weakness or movement dysfunction and the only way to address those is through progressive, targeted exercise.
The Most Common Mistake in Injury Recovery
Most people either rest completely (which weakens the area further) or return to full training too soon (which re-injures the same structures).
The sweet spot is a structured rehabilitation programme that progressively loads the injured area in a controlled way.
As a Functional Range Conditioning Mobility Specialist (FRCms), I assess joint function before building a programme that specifically targets the movement restrictions and weaknesses driving your injury.
What an Exercise-Based Rehab Programme Looks Like
- Week 1–2: Joint assessment and movement re-education, teaching the body to move properly around the injury
- Week 3–4: Controlled strength work at the end of the available range of motion
- Week 5–8: Progressive loading, building strength and resilience in the injured tissue
- Week 9–12: Sport or activity-specific conditioning, preparing for return to full training
Why This Works
Tendons, ligaments and muscles respond to load. When you progressively challenge them with controlled exercise, they adapt and become stronger.
When you avoid using them, they weaken. The research is clear: exercise-based rehabilitation produces better long-term outcomes than rest alone for the vast majority of musculoskeletal injuries.
Getting Started in Orpington
Conditioned Fitness in Orpington offers sports injury rehabilitation programmes with Massimo Massaro BSc FRCms. One of very few personal trainers in South East London with an advanced qualification specifically in joint health and mobility.
Sessions are 100% private, 1:1, and tailored to your injury and your goals.
If you're dealing with a persistent sports injury in the Orpington, Bromley, or Sevenoaks area, call
07950 398025 to book a free assessment.
